City tour

The historical salt houses, the “Salzbrunnenhaus” and the “Salzherrenhaus”, were built between 1730 and 1736. They both trace back to the construction of a salt extraction plantin 1549. Already documented in 1346 as “solzpach” (“solz” meaning salt), the name of the city Sulzbach hints at the saline deposits in the sandstone that dissolved in the ground water.

In 1730, Joseph Todesco took over the salt extraction plant and constructed the baroque “Salzbrunnenhaus” as well as the “Salzherrenhaus”. The “Salzherrenhaus” functioned, from 1786 until 1800, as the residence of Carl Philip Vopelius, who established the early industry in Sulzbach. Today, theatre plays, concerts and art exhibitions are held in the “Salzbrunnenhaus” while the Sulzbach adult-education centre uses the “Salzherrenhaus” as its office and event building.

Residential Houses and Business Houses - Sulzbachtalstraße, city centre

Partially restored houses in the Sulzbachtalstrasse with magnificent façades in different styles were built between 1875 and 1910 and remind us of the city’s time of prosperity due to the increasing industrialisation in the 2nd half of the 19th century.

The Town Hall consists of an older, late classical two-storied section from 1867 that lacks the original arrangement elements of the façade today, and a 1903/1904 four-storied annex in the Renaissance style with a richly decorated sandstone façade. Paintings by local painter Fritz Zolnhofer (1896-1965) are displayed in the boardroom of the building. touristic map

The former community college now functions as vocational training centre. The four-storied building is decorated with corner risalits, clinker façades and ashlar masonary in neo-Renaissance style, and was built between 1901 and 1905.

The market place was designed in the late 19th century after the former village community Sulzbach received the permission to hold a market twice a week in 1861. The corner building in “Marktstraße” was built in 1893.

The old Sulzbach grammar school was built between 1906 and 1908 in neo-Renaissance style and today houses the Sulzbach police. On the opposite side of the street, the former villa-like dwelling of the grammar school headmaster is still well-preserved. In 2008, the auditorium of the old grammar school was renovated and serves now as venue for numerous events.

The façade of this 1913 erected building is reminiscent of baroque castles from the 17th and 18th century. The central part of the building includes a column-framed portal in the two-storied basement with classical columns surrounding.

This brick building was constructed between 1927 and1929 and was designed by Trier architect Peter Marx . The barrel-vaulted aisle-less church is dominated by a breathtaking multi-storey belfry and is one of the top rated buildings in the region.

As the first neo-Gothic non-secular building in the Saar, Protestant church was constructed between 1852 and 1854 and designed by Berlin architect C. Rüger. The west side was later expanded by Heinrich Güth, an architect from Saarbrücken, who added another side aisle and belfry. In addition to the beautiful stained glass windows, the magnificent chandelier provides a particular eye-catching sight.

The hospital chapel was built in 1906 by the miners' association of Saarbrücken in the Historicism style. It now serves as an artist’s studio. The nurses' hostel, built in 1845, is also still standing on the site.

This classic villa was built in 1837 for Charlotte Braun, the daughter of glass manufacturer Carl-Philipp Vopelius. The residence, with its monumental portico at the rear, is modelled on Italian Renaissance buildings. Of the two wings added in 1864, only the eastern one is preserved and that only in a reduced state. The villa was surrounded by extensive gardens.

The manor house was built in 1792 and later expanded to include a two-storied baroque building with twelve windows axes served from 1830 until 1908 as the mansion of the entrepreneur family Appolt, the owners of the "Blaufabrik" (i.e. “blue factory”).

The cemetery chapel was built around 1900 and its semicircular apse is clearly inspired by Gothic architecture. It serves as the tomb for the industrialist family Georg Appolt and Auguste Appolt, nee Stöckert.

Only a few traces remain of the “Blaufabrik” that was founded in 1786 to produce and sell “Prussian Blue” worldwide. Originally led by Carl Philip Vopelius (1764-1828), the factory was in the possession of the Appolt family from 1830 to 1908. In 1938, the “Blaufabrik” was closed. The artificial ponds in the valley towards Neuweiler belonged to the factory and one of these was later turned into the Sulzbach open-air swimming pool.

„Brennender Berg“ NaturalMonument, at the road's end „Brennende-Berg-Straße“ route planer

The "hot spots" that can be found in a gorge in the forest between Sulzbach und Dudweiler, known as the “Klamme”, came into existence after a coal seam fire around 1670. It became famous when poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited in 1770 and described the natural phenomenon in his autobiography From my Life: Poetry and Truth; 1811-1833 .

The origin of the municipal park, which was extended in 1960, dates from the large gardens belonging to the Villa Vopelius.

„Mariannenthaler Glashütte“ - is located in the district Schnappachroute planer

The district of Schnappach has belonged to Sulzbach since 1974. Under the regency of Marianne von der Leyen in the 18th century, the district witnessed an economic boom with the expansion of coal mines and the establishment of an “Alaunwerk” as well as the “Mariannenthaler glass factory”. A second glass factory was founded in 1810 by Carl Philip Vopelius. The numerous houses of the glass makers in the Altenwald district and “premium” houses of the miners date back to the glassworks. The old Röchlingen Cokery manager’s villa of the in Altenwald was built around 1900 in the Historicism style and is reminiscent of the days of the coal mines expansion.

OldHumboldt School– Sulzbachtalstraße 264, is located in the district Altenwaldroute planer

The building consists of three aligned red brick buildings with sandstone detailing. The three-storey central main building, built in 1907, has a median risalit above the entrance portal. On both sides, two-storied buildings are joined to the central structure, the older one on the left is the 1900 school house, and the one on the right was the principal’s residence.

Protestant Church– Sulzbachtalstraße 203, is located in the district Altenwaldroute planer

The brick church was built between 1891 and 1893 as a prayer hall in the Romanesque Revival style and was later extended to include the choir and the steeple. As a consequence of the sagging ground caused by the coal mine, the steeple has a distinct lean and is locally known as "Leaning Tower of Altenwald".

Catholic Parish Church „Herz-Jesu-Kirche“ - Grubenstraße, is located in the district Altenwaldroute planer

This neo-Gothic church with a tall steeple that dominates the landscape was designed by Saarbrücken architect, Moritz Gombertand was built in 1911 as a basilica with a three-tiered polygonal choir.

Railway Pit and Gatehouse - is located in the district Altenwaldroute planer

From the coal mine complex that was opened in 1851 and permanently closed in 1963, only the former colliery house, a compressor building and the renovated gatehouse, used as a Citizen’s Advice Bureau now remain. The pithead building and gatehouse were constructed in 1890 in brick with contrasting detailing.

The cemetery was originally laid out in 1895 and has a remarkable in monumental mortuary with neoclassical pillars which was completed in 1958.

“Premium” Houses - St. Mary's Catholic Church – Protestant Church, Grühlingstraße, is located in the district Hühnerfeld'route planer

In the district of Hühnerfeld the “Premium” houses of the miners can be seen, named after the loan and premium-funded construction of the miners houses. Also worth mentioning are two churches: St. Mary's Parish Catholic Church, a striking red brick building with bright contrasting plaster, dating from 1910, and the clearly articulated brick building of the Protestant Church which was built between 1934 and 1936. At the junction of Grühlingsstrasse and the old Quierschieder Weg, a substation can be found that was built in 1925 as precast concrete skeleton in neoclassical style by the French Mines Administration,. The building is still unused and in need of repair.

Saint Pius Catholic Parish Church - Am Kreuzgraben, is located in the district Brefeldroute planer

The houses of the mine’s civil servants, built up until 1919 refer to the time of mining in connection with the 1872 cross grave shafts, as does the St. Pius Catholic Church. The original use of the church building was as the stables of the mine and converted into a church between 1898 and 1899.

Saint Hildegard Catholic Parish Church - Hochstraße, is located in the district Neuweilerroute planer

Architecturally and artistically valuable, the St. Hildegard Catholic Parish Church was constructed between 1954 and 1957 from the plans of Cologne architect Gottfried Böhm and its Pieta was created by Ernst Alt in 1980.

The Protestant church Neuweiler, Martin-Luther-Straßeis located in the district Neuweilerroute planer

The Protestant church was built in 1953/54 and has since been renovated to include a modern community centre to met changing demographic requirements. For the outstanding interior renovation in 2009/10, the parish won the 2010 Architectural Association of Saarland Developer's Prize . Using the "room-in-space principle", the newly created central nave successfully combines the church sanctuary and parish hall. The exterior of the church remains unchanged